Performance Of Photovoltaic Panels Research Articles

Comparative study on heat transfer characteristics of molten PCM in PV/PCM air-based system based on grey relation analyses

The operating temperature of photovoltaic (PV) panel have significant influence on its generating efficiency and life span. To improve the performance of PV panel, we performed comparative analyses on a novel PV panel cooling strategy by integrating PV panel with phase change material (PCM) and ventilation system (PV/PCM air-based system). The heat transfer characteristics of molten PCM in an inclined cavity with constant heat flux on one side and air flow boundary on another side are numerically investigated. The thermal performance including dimensionless temperature and temperature uniformity, the heat transfer capability including local Nusselt number and average Nusselt number, are compared and analyzed. The results indicate that flow boundary has a significant effect on the PV cooling. Cavity at top-down flow direction has better temperature uniformity and at bottom-up flow direction has greater heat transfer capability. Increasing Reynolds number can enhance the heat transfer efficiency and reduce the temperature at the same time. Further, the impact of each factor on heat transfer capability are quantified based on the grey relation analyses. Grey relation grade for average Nusselt number with Ra number, Re number, AR, ϕ, and flow direction is 0.51, 0.66, 0.69, 0.62, and 0.53, respectively. This indicates that heat transfer capacity is the most sensitive to AR, followed by Re number, inclination angle, flow direction, and Ra number.

Emerging Study on Lead‐Free Hybrid Double Perovskite (CH3NH3)2AgInBr6: Potential Material for Energy Conversion between Heat and Electricity

Minimal cost, huge area, high throughput, high performance of photovoltaic panels, prolonged lifespan, and less toxicity are vital aspects when transitioning photovoltaic technology from lab‐scale production to industrial implementations. A new class of materials typically known as hybrid halide double perovskites (HHDPs) has emerged as a possible alternative for the replacement of toxic lead in crystal lattice for realizing lead‐free, stable, and high‐performance perovskite solar cells (PSCs). An ab initio analysis of (MA)2AgInBr6 HHDP via the WIEN2K code is conducted. It is found that this material has a direct bandgap of 3.85 eV having excellent optical properties in the UV region. The calculated thermodynamic parameters confirm its thermal stability at different temperatures and pressure. Its figure of merit is more than unity at room temperature as well as higher temperature ranges, so this material will be useful in thermoelectric (TE) devices as a TE material.

Predicting Photovoltaic Electrical Power Generation Using Computational Method

One of the most popular kinds of renewable energy in the generation of electric power is the photovoltaic (PV) system. One of the disadvantages of the PV system however is the incompatibility of the performance of PV panels because of the changing climate. Therefore, the optimum power output of the PV system is important to predict. This study will cover the implementation of PV system behind the Faculty Electrical and Electronic Engineering Block QA Building, University Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia. Then, the PV power output is predicted with manual calculation. Temperature and solar irradiance are the important input parameters that need to be taken into the calculation. The result shows that February and March have the highest total power output which 7155203.97 kWh and 7395327.66 kWh than any other month in year 2020. The results can relate with Qur’an, as explained in Surah Yasin ayat 38, ‘besides science and the Qur’an both explain that the sun can be made as calculation of time’.

A Review and Analysis of the Effects of Colors of Light On the Performance of Solar Photovoltaic Panels

Solar energy is quite simple as the energy can be obtained from the sun directly. Solar energy is categorized as one of the best renewable energy since it does not emit carbon dioxide and because of unlimited supports from the sun. In this paper, three main sections of solar technologies like photovoltaicsolar panel, concentrating solar power, heating and cooling system that is available present days have been investigated. In the second part of this research, an experiment has been carried out to evaluate the effects of colors of light on the performance of solar photovoltaic panels. Different colors of light having different wavelength, resulting in different frequency and hence different energy. In general, the solar spectrum influences the performance of the solar panels. The results show that the solar panels are influenced more by the red color of light. This report will start by detailing the three main solar technologies, followed by the testing on the colors of light with the solar panels

The Effects of Soiling and Frequency of Optimal Cleaning of PV Panels in Palestine

The performance of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels is dependent on certain factors, such as dust effects. Even though Palestine’s energy issues are well-known, no research has been undertaken on the soiling effect on solar energy generation in Palestine’s climatic circumstances. The study’s findings can aid Palestine’s efforts to achieve long-term energy sustainability and solar energy use. Outdoor research was conducted in Tulkarm, Palestine, to explore the impact of dust on PV systems. The current study examined the impact of dust accumulation based on the Mediterranean climate. To accomplish this, a one-year experiment was conducted from 1 January to 31 December 2021. An 85-kW PV power plant at Tulkarm was utilized in the study. Knowing the efficiency reduction over time will aid in minimizing cleaning expenses by selecting the most appropriate cleaning interval. The results concluded that in January, February, November, and December, there will be a two-month cleaning period, monthly cleaning in March and October, as well as two weeks of cleaning in April and May. It may also be concluded that the plant should be cleaned weekly throughout the months of June, July, August, and September. This recommendation is necessary to maintain the PV panel plant operating at peak efficiency.

Enhancing performance of PV module using water flow through porous media

To achieve a high level of photovoltaic (PV) panel performance, a cooling process have to be added to reduce temperature of PV module. In present study, a new design of cooling system is suggested and investigated numerically. Water is used as a working fluid through the back chamber of PV panel. The chamber is filled with porous media to increase convection heat transfer. The incompressible steady state flow of water is simulated using the ANSYS program utilizing Navier Stokes equations. The flow field of cooling fluid and temperature distribution of PV panel have been presented at different conditions to study the effects of mass flow rate, solar radiation and porosity, on the performance of the PV module. The result show that adding the porous media decreases the average temperature of the module by about 9–14 °C. Additionally, the heat transfer is greatly enhanced with the increase of flow rate. For validation of the presented work, an experimental work is implemented to compare the experimental results with numerical ones. These comparisons show a good agreement with a range of error between 4.5% and 8.5% for cooling without porous media and between 2.9% and 10.9% for cooling with porous media.

Cooling of Photovoltaic Panel with Water Spray Technique

Abstract: The main aim of this experiment is to show that the use of water spray technique for the cooling of Photo-voltaic Panel to improve its performance parameters. The increase in temperature of Photo-voltaic panel due to accumulation of heat affects the performance parameters of it negatively. It also focuses on the why adaption of water spray technique cooling method over the other conventional cooling methods is effective. The effective design of the cooling system for Photo-voltaic panel was made and the procedure to carry out the experiment is describe. Experiment was carried out to check the performance of Photo-voltaic panel. The data was collected and is mentioned accordingly, analysis of experimental data and the calculations were done to show the improvement in performance parameter. Improvement in the efficiency by using water spray technique cooling system is found to be 2.14%. At last the results are shown in accordance with performance of Photovoltaic panel and discussions is made. It can be concluded that cooling of Photovoltaic panel using water spray technique can be one of the effective methods to improve its performance.

Experimental investigation of Effect of Dust Accumulation and Discoloration on Photovoltaic Panel Material

ABSTRACT Several factors affect the performance of photovoltaic panels like latitude, longitude, tilt angle, dust accumulation, shadow, bird droppings, operating temperature, and so on; out of these parameters, dust is less acknowledged. Therefore, in this paper, the effect of the dust accumulation trend on a glass slide sample for 7 days at a geographical location, Gwalior, India, was observed. The characterizations of the dust, such as the transmittance, density, and particle size, were analyzed using a UV-vis spectrometer, chemical balance, and optical microscope, respectively. It was found that there is a 15% transmittance drop on collected dust samples in 7 days, and it is recommended that the panel must be cleaned every third day to keep the panel efficient. Also, the effects of transmittance on PC and PET material utilized in photovoltaic panel encasement for 2 months were observed, and it was concluded that the optical efficiency of PC is 23% higher than PET as well as PC is a good superstrate, but PET is not good encapsulation for photovoltaic cell in optical efficiency regard.

The Influence of Temperature and Irradiance on Performance of the photovoltaic panel in the Middle of Iraq

The photovoltaic (PV) panels are expected to be the most important systems to meet global energy demand by converting solar energy into electricity. The main obstacle to the widespread deployment of the PV systems its the limited efficiency, which are greatly affected by the solar radiation and the operating temperature. The full knowledge of the performance, efficiency and output power of photovoltaic modules and the extent of their change with the fluctuations of solar radiation and temperature is necessary to determine the optimal size of the system and avoid the financial risks of the project. This paper investigated numaricaly and experimentaly the influence of operating temperature and solar radiation on the output power and efficiency of polycrystalline PV panels in Baghdad-Iraq. The PVsyst software was used to simulate a model implementing simulation results presented the impact of variations temperature and solar radiation in the curves of I-V, P-V and efficiency. In order to verify the reliability of the simulated results with experimental ones, several measuring devices have been used to conduct field experiments in the outdoor conditions. It were used to determine the characteristics and performance of a 120W polycrystalline PV panel for different ranges of solar radiation and operating temperature. The simulation results showed that the current, voltage, output power and efficiency increased with increasing solar radiation, while they decreased with increasing temperature except the current that was increased. The experimental and simulated results were identical in terms of the effect of temperature and solar radiation on the current, voltage, output power and efficiency of the PV panel. The experimental tests showed that when the temperature is increased by 1°C, the current was increased by about 0.068%, the voltage decreased by 0.34%, the output power decreased by 0.489% and the efficiency decreased about 0.586%. The experimental results displayed that the parameters of the PV panel under real operating conditions behave differently than in the standard test conditions (STC), as they are strongly affected by weather fluctuations in terms of temperature and solar radiation

An Empirical Investigation of the Electrical and Thermal Performance of Photovoltaic-thermal Hybrid Sensor (PV/T)

The combination photovoltaic-thermal solar collector produces at the same time electricity gratitude to photovoltaic solar energy and warmth gratitude to thermal energy because it is known that the traditional photovoltaic panel produces three times more heat than the electricity. The increase in warmth inside the module is one of the principal reasons of the reduced performance of photovoltaic solar panels. Thus the necessity for a thermal evacuation technique. The benefit of a hybrid technique is the cooling of the photovoltaic cells gratitude to the circulation of a fluid, which will be warmed during its passage via the sensor. The novelty of this study is to recover this thermal energy by heating or drying. Previous dryers worked with thermal sensors thanks to the greenhouse effect, which gives only heat. The purpose of this paper is the realization experimental of a PV/T sensor and so the examination of the impact of different parameters on the energy performance of the PV/T sensor. The impacts recommend that this kind of collector is a nicely alternative to photovoltaic modules and thermal collectors seated individually.

Modeling and optimization of photovoltaic serpentine type thermal solar collector with thermal energy storage system for hot water and electricity generation for single residential building.

Increasing surface temperature has a significant effect on the electrical performance of photovoltaic (PV) panels. A closed-loop forced circulation serpentine tube design of cooling water system was used in this study for effectively management of the surface temperature of PV panels. A real-time experiment was first carried out with a PV panel with a cooling system at heat transfer fluid (HTF) flow rates of 60kgh-1, 120kgh-1, and 180kgh-1. Based on the experimentation, a correlation for a nominal operating cell temperature (NOCT) and thermal efficiency for collector was developed for experimental validation of useful energy gained, cell temperature, and electric power generation. The developed correlations were validated with the use of electric power electrical power and useful energy gained in photovoltaic serpentine thermal solar collector (PV/STSC) and fitting into the experimental results with a deviation of 1% and 2.5% respectively. Further, with the help of developed correlations, a system was developed in the TRNSYS tool through which an optimization study was performed based on electric and hot water demand. The findings indicated an optimal system with an 8-m2 PV/STSC area, a HTF flow rate of 60kgh-1, and thermal energy storage (TES) system having a volume and height of 280l and 0.8m could meet 91% and 33% of the hot water demand for Ac loads and 78% or DC loads, respectively.

Numerical study on 2-stage phase change heat sink for cooling of photovoltaic panel

Photovoltaic (PV) devices play an increasingly important role in solving the energy crisis. However, the conversion efficiency of the PV panel is small. Cooling of PV panels using phase change devices is an effective way to improve the working performance of PV panels. A phase change device with a two-level arrangement of metal-organic phase change materials (PCMs) is proposed. The PCM is filled in a metal cavity made of aluminium plates. A numerical model of the melting process of the combined PCMs is established, and the flow and heat transfer characteristics of the melting process are analysed. The results show that the temperature variation curve of the metal cavity wall close to the PV panel can be divided into three main stages according to the temperature increasing rate, i.e., the first rapidly rising stage, the slowly rising stage and the second rapidly rising stage. The temperature distribution inside the metallic cavity is more uniform compared to the temperature distribution inside the organic material cavity, and the flow in the metallic cavity is weaker, and the temperature controlling time shows a unimodal variation with the increase of gallium filling proportion in the studied ranges, and the optimal filling proportion is 56.9%.

Performance Studies of Solar-Powered Absorption-Type Refrigeration System and Characterization of Deposits on its PV Panel

The demand for refrigeration and air-conditioning systems has been increasing in recent years. In order to reduce the demand for fossil fuels, renewable energy sources can be used to drive these systems. Also, renewable energy sources will reduce global warming, increase energy security, and generate employment opportunities. The conventional vapor compression system used in domestic applications needs electrical energy and a vapor absorption system can be used as an alternative to a vapor compression refrigeration system. In this work, a refrigeration system of solar-type has been developed and tested as the demand for the refrigeration system is increasing, which directly and indirectly increases global warming. The use of a renewable energy-driven alternative cooling system such as an absorption system will reduce the impact of refrigeration systems on the environment. The experimental work concluded that the vapor absorption system driven by the solar photovoltaic (PV) system could be a substitute for the conventionally used vapor compression system. The accumulation of the dust reduces the performance of Solar PV panels. The characterization of dust particles is important in deciding further growth and subsequent deterioration of the solar PV panels and the power output. The scanning electron microscopy study and energy dispersive X-ray analysis have helped to find the chemical composition of the dust particles. The X-ray diffraction results have helped in further investigation of the severity of the deposits by identifying possible compounds. Based on this analysis, the periodic cleaning of solar PV panels must be carried out at regular intervals.

The Effect of Soybean Wax as a Phase Change Material on the Cooling Performance of Photovoltaic Solar Panel

Solar energy is renewable energy with infinite amounts and low emissions. The work of the solar panel is affected by the increase in its working temperatures. In this study, 50 Wp polycrystalline solar panel with and without soybean wax placed on backplate solar panels using PCM container as a passive cooling system were simulated on the solar simulator with variations in light intensity of 400 W/m2, 600 W/m2, 900 W/m2, 1000 W/m2, and 1100 W/m2. The blower was simulated the ambient wind in the surrounding area constantly. The PV panel temperature simulation approach was carried out to determine the error in the experimental results. The simulation obtained the average temperature at 1100 W/m2 intensity of PV panels with and without soybean wax PCM 56.8℃ and 48.6℃, respectively. The experiment show that PV applied with soybean wax as a passive cooling system can reduce the maximum PV temperature at 1100 W/m2 intensity from 60.7℃ to 54.7℃ and increase its maximum efficiency by 0.42% at 900 W/m2 intensity. Soybean wax cooling system has proven to be effective in reducing PV temperature. The error values from the simulation and experimental results of PV panels with and without PCM are 6.9% and 12.61%, respectively.

Phase change materials based on nanoparticles for enhancing the performance of solar photovoltaic panels: A review

Phase change materials (PCMs) are one of the promising materials in thermal energy storage (TES) systems, while commonly utilized PCMs have weak thermal conductivity. Therefore, elevating high relatively thermally conductivity for the PCM composites using various nanoparticles with different named the nano-enhanced phase change material (NePCM) is an encouraging solution for regulating the PV temperatures and hence prolonging the lifetime of the utilized photovoltaics. The present paper introduces the cooling methods of PV panels as well as reviews the PV/PCM systems. Additionally, the cooling of photovoltaics based on the NePCM methods are studied showing the preparing methods of the NePCM nanocomposites. The results indicated the dispersion of NPs into the PCMs modifies the thermo-physical properties of PCM like melting temperature, supercooling degree, heat of fusion, viscosity, etc., as well as the mass fraction of NPs affects remarkably the enhanced thermal conductivity (TC) of NePCM nanocomposites. Thus, the NePCMs introduce superior characteristics of heat transfer as a result of intensifying the TC of PCM. Therefore, adding the nanoparticles to the PCM had a noteworthy potential for intensification the thermos-physical properties of PCM so it is a promising choice for TES in solar photovoltaics applications.

Optimized performance of PV panels and site selection for a solar park in Pakistan

Information such as the optimal tilt and azimuth angle of the solar collectors’ location is needed to efficiently incorporate solar energy. Also, when building a solar park, it is important to know the most suitable and high-energy generating location, thus saving time and money. This study analyzed collector geometry for Karachi in particular and Pakistan in general. Karachi has the potential of 339.36 kWh·m−2·annum−1 at a fixed annual tilt of 26°. In case the collector geometry needed to be changed for Karachi, we adopted a range of 40° azimuth angle and 20° tilt angle from its maximum value. The difference in power produced with these modifications would only be 1%. Optimal yearly and monthly tilt for most of the potential solar park locations of Pakistan (300+) were calculated, and we found that the optimal tilt for Pakistan closely follows the value for latitude. Generally, changing the tilt angle monthly is recommended for areas that produce more energy, whereas a fixed annual tilt could be suitable for low energy-producing regions. The effects of temperature were also incorporated while examining the energy produced by the photovoltaic (PV) panels.

PASSIVE THERMAL MANAGEMENT OF PHOTOVOLTAIC PANEL BY USING PHASE CHANGE MATERIAL-FILLED ALUMINUM CANS: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

In the recent years, researches are focused on improving the efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) panels by cooling panel surface utilizing different methods. In this work, paraffin wax-filled aluminum beverage cans have been utilized to improve the performance of photovoltaic panels. The main aims of this study are reutilizing waste materials in solar systems and increasing the performance of a PV panel by employing an unconventional approach. Modified and unmodified PV panels have been experimentally investigated simultaneously to observe and compare their performances. Experimentally attained outcomes showed that electrical efficiency was upgraded from 10.69% to 12.60%. Moreover, normalized power output efficiency was found as 61.72% and 71.56%, respectively, for unmodified and modified PV systems. In addition to the electrical performance investigation, an exergy analysis has been performed and mean exergy efficiency values for conventional and modified PV panels were found as 2.26% and 5.73%, respectively. General outcomes of this study showed successful utilization of paraffin wax-filled aluminum cans as a thermal management and efficiency improvement technique in photovoltaic systems.

Challenges and opportunities in solar photovoltaic system

In recent years, research work in renewable energy sources is significant due to fossil fuels depletion, environmental degradation and global warming issues related to fossil fuel. The renewable energy or non-conventional energy source is renewed by the nature and operating cost is low. The solar energy is most widely used renewable energy source and popular solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal system is used for solar energy conversion. The solar PV system generates electrical energy from solar energy directly. The performance of the solar photovoltaic system is impacted by ambient temperature, solar radiation intensity, surface temperature of solar photovoltaic module, dust, shades etc. The impact of ambient conditions on the performance of the solar PV system was studied in this work. The higher panel temperature reduces the solar PV panel performance. The dust deposition on the PV panel reduces the power generation and also increases the solar PV panel surface temperature which may reduce the life of the solar PV panels. These challenges provide research opportunities to overcome these issues. From this work, it is concluded that the regular cleaning and effective cooling methods will help to overcome the challenges posed by ambient condition on solar PV panels..

Enhancement of a Photovoltaic Panel Performance by Using a Cooling Water System

Enhancement of a Photovoltaic Panel Performance by Using a Cooling Water System

Thermal model of a photovoltaic module with heat-protective film

Research on reducing the working temperature of PV modules is gaining attention to improve their electrical performance, efficiency, and life especially in warm climatic conditions. This study describes the use of novel heat-protective film based on holographic coating with a total internal reflection prism layer applied to maintain the operating temperature of the photovoltaic module. A mathematical model of thermal protection based on the holographic film is described. MATLAB/Simulink simulation was used to estimate the current-voltage and output power–solar irradiance characteristics of a photovoltaic module with and without holographic film. Regression models were developed based on field testing to determine a relationship between the temperature of heat-protected/unprotected PV panels and ambient temperature. The results showed that a temperature reduction of 3.54 °C is obtained for solar modules with thermal protection film compared to the one without holographic film. The modeling and field performance results confirm the effectiveness of the thermal protective film in reducing the temperature and improving the photovoltaic panel performance in hot climates.